Stripperfest: Aspen Reign

A good friend of mine is a professional makeup artist.

A few years ago, I saw him do a presentation where he brought twin sisters onto the stage and sat them about five feet away from each other. The girl on the left had been made up in a way that was appropriate for a photo shoot or the filming of a motion picture. The girl on the right had been prepared for appearing on stage in a theatre that would seat at least 500 people.

To the people near the front of the lecture hall, the girl on the left looked perfectly normal while the make up of the girl on the right appeared to be horribly over done.

To the people at the back of the room, the face of the girl on the left appeared to be little more than a vague blur while the girl on the right seemed incredibly attractive.

The moral of this little tale is that each young woman's makeup had been properly done. But each had been prepared for a different venue. While neither makeup job was Bad, each could easily be described as Right or Wrong ... Depending on the venue the girl was expected to perform in.

At StripperFest ... Both Aspen Reign and Artemis Moon delivered stunning performances. But it is my sincere opinion that Aspen gave a performance which was not a proper fit for the the nature of the Club or the Contest. Aspen presented what was primarily a Theatrical Performance, at a contest where the primary corner stone was dance.

Had Aspen been on stage in an auditorium which would seat at least 500 people ... Her large props, grand costumes and eye popping light show would have been a magnificent set of assets. That is the type of location where you want your routine to be larger than life.

But in a Club atmosphere ... Where the stage is modest in size and the people are so close that they can almost read the labels on the soles of your shoes ... This is where a performer needs to jettison the large props and elaborate costumes. This is where she needs to do everything she can to make the motion of her body the absolute center of everyone's attention. This is where she needs to give everyone in the front row a clear and compelling reason to believe that she knows they are there and that she adores each and everyone of them.

Aspen Reign gave a marvellous performance that weekend. But she did not give this performance.

The intimate and flirtatious performance was presented by Artemis Moon. And that is why she took the title "Queen Of The Stage".

In a different venue ... One where all the contestants were performing on a theatrical stage in front of a crowd of at least 500 people ... Aspen would quite likely have prevailed.

Travis Clemmons